Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
To me few scents evoke spring more than the honey and cucumber fragrance of mimosa. Even before the snow melted on the streets of Kiev, sidewalk vendors would suddenly appear with large baskets of fluffy mimosa branches wrapped in wet newspaper. I could never resist the sunny yellow color nor the warm, sweet fragrance, and I happily traded my school lunch allowance for a smell of spring. Today I would gladly exchange the most precious perfume in my collection for the utter joy of burying my face in a soft cloud of fragrant mimosa orbs, staining my fingers with indelible newspaper ink and feeling my pulse quicken at the thought of spring being near. Therefore, I simply could not wait for Annick Goutal Le Mimosa to arrive on our shores, even if the real mimosa rarely does. Launched this month as a part of the soliflores collection, Néroli, Des Lys, La Violette, Le Muguet and Le Chèvrefeuille, Le Mimosa is Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen’s ode to spring.
While Le Mimosa is advertised as a soliflore, it is hardly a single note fragrance. As I wear it, I find that Le Mimosa is above all a play on a mimosa theme, rather than a literal rendition like L’Artisan Mimosa Pour Moi. While mimosa forms the heart of the main accord, its presence is blended with fresh fruity and transparent floral notes. The effervescence of the composition is introduced by the bright, crisp bergamot, while a creamy, yet sheer peach gives a bright sweetness. Honeyed and warm, with green cucumber and anise notes, mimosa nevertheless remains veiled. As the composition dries down, the tender, delicately powdery character of mimosa intensifies, amplified by the earthiness of violet-iris and the sweetness of vanilla.
I enjoy Le Mimosa, but I am not captivated by it as I was by Songes, nor does it uplift me the way Néroli does. My first impression of Le Mimosa was Petite Chérie, a sweet, musky peach and rose composition created by Annick Goutal in 1998 for her daughter Camille. Like Petite Chérie, Le Mimosa has strong peach and musk notes and has an innocent comeliness about it. As a joyful floral composition, Le Mimosa is a lovely choice and its touching, delicate beauty has a romantic quality that I notice in many Annick Goutal fragrances. While I like the unusual and memorable interpretation of the classical flower, Le Mimosa, like Petite Chérie, feels too innocent and too lighthearted for me. Or perhaps, I simply need the musty note of wet Pravda for my olfactory portait of spring…
Annick Goutal Le Mimosa includes notes of bergamot, anise, mimosa, iris, sandalwood, musk, peach. It officially launches on March 1st, but there are already testers at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus Annick Goutal counters. For now, it is intended as a limited edition.
Sample: my own acquisition
31 Comments
Olfactoria: I have to admit that I never smelled real Mimosas in my life. (I smelled wet Pravda, but I think that doesn`t cut it. ;))
I was exited for this, but your comparison to Petite Cherie brought me quickly down to earth. I find PC too artificially fruity for my liking.
Would you say L’Artisan’s Mimosa is true to the smell of the real flower? February 10, 2011 at 3:28am
Katy: I love Petite Cherie, so if Le Mimosa is similar, I am a happy camper. I am even more excited to smell it. 🙂 February 10, 2011 at 8:40am
Janet: V, how would you say it compares to Frederic Malle’s mimosa, Une Fleur de Cassie? I didn’t try either one, but I have a sample of Une Fleur de Cassie on the way. February 10, 2011 at 9:29am
Janet: That was my question too! Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂 February 10, 2011 at 9:30am
sweetlife: Well, darn. Was hoping it would be to Mimosa what Chevrefuille is to honeysuckle for me. I love the opening of the L’Artisan version, but it fades so quickly to something more ordinary. I will sniff anyway. February 10, 2011 at 9:34am
sweetlife: And adding–clearly there is work for you to do then, V! I stand ready to test my mimosa-plus-wet-pravda mod at anytime… February 10, 2011 at 9:35am
violetnoir: Well all right, then! Thank you for the preview, V!
In spite of your misgivings about Le Mimosa, I will try it, because I love this collection, especially Le Jasmin (gorgeous!), Des Lys (sadly discontinued), Le Muguet and Le Chevrefeuille.
Hugs! February 10, 2011 at 11:28am
gautami: An year or two ago I bought Yves Rocher Mimosa in solid form – they come in cute little flower shaped tins. Yves Rocher at the time had some kind of promotion going on, and I was able to get Peony and Mimosa both under $5. I was not expecting much, but both those scents pleasantly surprised me; although I confess that price point was also a factor. My daughter now carries the tin in her school bag 😉
My fav mimosa thus far is UFdC. February 10, 2011 at 11:31am
Marina: I need the musty note of wet Pravda too! 🙂 And I want a literal rendition. Mimosa Pour Moi is sort of getting it but still not quite…I must add, on the most superficial level, that the combo of that kind of bright yellow and black dots on the packaging is unbearable to my eye. February 10, 2011 at 9:20am
Victoria: Real mimosa has the most wonderful fragrance, warm, honeyed, yet exhilarating, green and fresh.
Petite Cherie is perhaps my least favorite from Annick Goutal, because the rose notes are extremely sharp on my skin. But also it is just not me at all. Le Mimosa is soft, smooth and much more nuanced, but it is still not me either. February 10, 2011 at 10:22am
Victoria: Birgit, Janet, Mimosa Pour Moi initially is a perfect true-to-flower mimosa, but it quickly dries down to a thin, sharp woody note. I much prefer L’Artisan’s Mimosa Marin candle for my mimosa cravings. February 10, 2011 at 10:24am
Victoria: Katy, if you love Petite Cherie, then I am sure that you will be delighted with Le Mimosa. They are really quite similar to me. Le Mimosa is more powdery and warmer. February 10, 2011 at 10:25am
Victoria: I agree on Mimosa Pour Moi. It is almost perfect. Have you tried L’Occitane Mimosa (from that Voyage collection)? It is not bad and lasts well.
However, to tell you the truth, I get bored by these literal renditions very quickly. I find myself reaching for my mimosa scented candles instead these days to satisfy my memories of spring. Well, the wet Pravda is still nowhere to be found. 🙂 February 10, 2011 at 10:27am
Victoria: They are so different in character that it is almost impossible to compare them. Une Fleur de Cassie is a rich, powdery (not that sweet) and green mimosa/cassie, with a strong, bold leathery note. Le Mimosa is a pastel colored, warm, pretty floral. Much easier to wear than Une Fleur de Cassie. February 10, 2011 at 10:30am
Victoria: You should still smell it, because I think that it is a very nicely done mimosa. In the end, I realize that I do not want a literal rendition at all, but on the other hand, I need something a bit moodier. Eastern European springs are such violent seasons. If the earth is frozen for several months on end, it is only natural that when it casts off the ice and the snow, it does so with a great, brute force. To see ice moving on Volga in the spring is an awe-inspiring sight. Nothing delicate or pretty about it! February 10, 2011 at 10:33am
Victoria: Well, for the time being, I realized that Une Fleur de Cassie does smell like wet paper! Maybe, that explains my strong affection for it. February 10, 2011 at 10:35am
Victoria: If you loved all of those fragrances, I have a feeling you will enjoy Le Mimosa. I only wear Néroli and Le Chèvrefeuille (although I think that I rather overdosed on the latter.) Le Mimosa shares their delicate, pretty loveliness. February 10, 2011 at 12:50pm
Victoria: I loved Yves Rocher Mimosa shower gel (and Pivoine too.) I do not remember the EDT at all, but I recall the bath products were very nicely made and had a strong, true-to-flower fragrances.
I also finally decided that Une Fleur de Cassie is my favorite mimosa composition. February 10, 2011 at 12:52pm
violetnoir: There is nothing like Neroli on a sizzling summer day! February 10, 2011 at 8:12pm
Marina: let’s get some vintage Pravda on ebay 🙂 February 10, 2011 at 3:34pm
Lindaloo: “…the musty note of wet Pravda…”. Brilliant. And followed by “Pravda headspace then?”. You’ve made me laugh out loud twice. Thank you. February 10, 2011 at 8:42pm
Victoria: Pravda headspace then? 🙂 February 10, 2011 at 3:59pm
Victoria: Cannot agree more! I keep a small decant in the fridge for an extra burst of something refreshing and effervescent. February 10, 2011 at 9:15pm
Victoria: I am so pleased I made you smile. 🙂
As much as I was teasing Marina, come to think of it, wet newspaper scent is quiet pleasant to me. I guess, it is one of those good/strange smells I enjoy, like the smell of the hot asphalt or diesel fuel. Or of old books, which is just irresistible! February 10, 2011 at 9:20pm
Rose: I’m really looking forward to trying the whole collection- especially Mimosa and the violet- which I assume may be like the limited edition violet AG previously had available- which I loved!
Mimosa is such a particular smell, one that I’ve only honestly smelt in life once or twice- it’s joyous and innocent but not in a saccarine way. I don’t think something like this could compare with Songes, which I do agree is sublime, but I hope to like this very much.
Thanks for the lovely review February 11, 2011 at 9:48am
Victoria: Rose, you are likely to enjoy it very much then, especially if you liked the character of AG La Violette. Le Mimosa has this joyous, innocent loveliness, exactly how you’ve described the real mimosa smelling.
I was told that it is the limited edition, but if it does well, it will join the permanent collection. February 11, 2011 at 9:59am
dee: I have no idea what Mimosa smells like! I tested the new Halle Berry fragrance yesterday at my local drug store—Reveal, which supposedly contains mimosa—and it was pretty, uplifting, and subtle. There was an element to it that was white-flower-ish, but not white flowers as I typically think of them (tuberose et all). Was this the mimosa??? February 11, 2011 at 7:01pm
Victoria: D, mimosa is closer to violet (it shares ionones with it), plus it has a fresh, cucumber-like green note. Have you smelled L’Artisan Mimosa pour Moi? That should give you an idea. February 12, 2011 at 8:54am
iodine: I’ve just come back home from a short holiday in Marseille, where I hoped I could have seen and smelled tons of mimosa trees… The city itself hasn’t much more than potted trees- though very beautiful and suggestive, as the olive trees in a small square behind l’hotel de ville- so I just had to content myself smelling the Annick Goutal Mimosa sample the very kind lady at the store gave me and buying a tiny Mimosa Marin camdle at l’Artisan! On the other hand, while travelling by train along the marvellous Cote d’Azur in windy and rainy day, I could fill my wide open eyes with forests of mimosas in full bloom! What a pity I couldn’t smell them! Moreover, I composed a perfume in my head(!), which I would call “Cote d’hiver” (!!), featuring notes of rageous sea, mimosa, pines and feu de bois!
Le mimosa is very nice and peachy, though not my cup of tea.
Thanks for your beautiful- as ever- post, I love the images you convey. March 15, 2011 at 5:32am
Victoria: Oh, thank you so much for sharing these beautiful memories and vivid images! It absolutely made my morning reading this and imagining the colors and the scents. We have a beautiful spring morning here on the East coast, but it is entirely missing mimosas… 🙂 March 15, 2011 at 10:44am
Nukapai: Snap! Regarding the ‘impression of mimosa’ rather than actual mimosa. I tried this today and the smell on my skin is pleasant but not ‘wow’ (if I had a daughter I would buy this as her first perfume, perhaps). There is a very dominant synthetic note/accord that I’m trying hard to identify; caramelly-lactonic.
My favourite mimosa fragrances are Summer by Kenzo (milky mimosa) and Mimosa Pour Moi.
The trouble about mimosa absolute is that it’s very expensive. I haven’t smelled any fragrance recently that had a lot of it in. July 23, 2011 at 2:29pm